A window into the adventures of the 50 alumni of the Sistema Fellows Program at the New England Conservatory

March 06, 2013

Me llamo Rachel

After observing several sectional rehearsals, we
all got our hands dirty in the beginning orchestra rehearsal, comprised of
children who have only been playing their instruments since September. We
were all sitting in the sections with our specific instruments, helping out
where we could. After a while, the conductor pointed to me with his baton
and beckoned me to the stage to conduct the orchestra through Pomp and
Circumstance. I’m convinced the conductor somehow knew that I was the
least capable fellow in the room for this task.

After a quick “hola, me llamo Rachel,” we dove in. When we reached the end
of the piece, all of the children applauded for me. I was
stunned. Then the conductor came back on stage, and I returned to the
brass section. The trumpets and horns had only learned the introduction to
the piece, and were sitting and listening intently to the rest of the orchestra
after they had played through the part they knew. Carlos decided to take
over the trumpet part, and I followed suit on the horn part. This did not
go unnoticed by the rest of the orchestra. Once again, when we reached the
end of the piece, the entire orchestra turned to the brass section and
applauded Carlos and me. At the end of rehearsal, girls from the violin
section ran up to me to hug me.

I left this nucleo feeling so loved and
appreciated, even though I was barely able to communicate verbally with any of
the students. They were so hungry for musical help, and so loving and
affectionate. The “vibe” at this nucleo cannot be put into words, but the
fellows left feeling amazing and yearning to spend more time there.

Most of the nucleos around Caracas were taking the
day off on Saturday for various reasons, so Rodrigo took advantage of the free
time to show us around. We went to the top of La Avila, which is the
highest mountain in Caracas. The view from up there is breathtaking.